Electrical connecter for toy train tracks



June 16, 1925. 1,542,337

L. cARuso ELECTRICAL CONNECTER FOR TOY TRAIN TRACKS Filed March 25, 1923Lou/s Can/Jo INVENTOR 1 /j BY 0 5 Z /7 Z4 ATTORNEY ton, in the countPatented June 16, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS CARUSO, OF TRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE LIONEL CORPORA-TION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL C ONNEGTER FOR TOY TRAIN TRACKS.

Application filed March 23, 1923. Serial No. 627,021.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LoUIs OARUSO, citizen of the United States, residing atIrvingof Essex and State of New Jersey, has invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Electrical Connecters for Toy Train Tracks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toy electric rail- ,way equipment andisparticularly directed to connecters or binding devices adapted to beattached to the toy track rails for leading the electric currentthereto.

Among the objects of the invention isto provide improved means forsecuring connecters or binding devices of the character described to thetoy track rails, as well as to generally improve said connecters orbinding devices with reference to cheapness of manufacture, strength anddurability, reliability in electrical connection, and efiiciency ofoperation.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consistsinthe arrange ment of parts and combinations of elements hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to theexact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still forthe purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference ishad to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference charactersdesignate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 isa plan view of a fragment of a railway structure showing my improve mentin place.

Fig. 2 IS a vertical transverse section on 'the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, thescale being larger than in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is-a perspectivedetail of the connecter plate and attachmentmeans carried thereby in spaced relation.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings I show my improvement asapplied to a railway track equipment comprising two main rails 10 and10', usually attached in proper spaced relation to each other and at anysuitable lengths by means of cross ties or plates 11, the connections at12 being of any convenient or conventional type. The third rail 13extending between the main rails is secured to the cross ties bysuitable clamps 14 embracing insulation 15. The parts thus far describedare more orv less conventional and are referred to primarily to lay abasis for the specific description of the parts now following.

In the practice of this type of devices it is important to provide anelectric contact or connection for the third rail, the main electricconductor. To this end I provide a base plate 16 of fibre or anyother suitable or relatively cheap rigid insulating material. This plateis indicated as being substantially rectangular and of a lengthsuflicient to reach beneath the rail 10 and also beneath and beyond thethird rail, as well. as projectin laterally from the trackway far enoughfor other electric connections.

Secured in any suitable manner to the exposed end of the plate 16 areelectric conductor binders 17 and 18 spaced from each other andaccordingly insulated through the plate. The binder 17 comprises ametallic base 19 mainly in flat form and extending along the plate 16far enough to include a number, of attachment elements 20 engaging in orthrough the plate 16, thereby affording not only a reliable connectionfor the base 19 but also acting as a stifiener or reinforcement for theplate itself. One end of the base 19 lies beneath the rail 10 therebyincreasing the effective 21 projects with suflicient clearance to bedepressed resilientl stanchion so that t e conductor C may beautomatically gripped as indicated when the free end of the tongue isdepressed by the operators finger or thumb. The base portion of thetongue is held beneath a loop 25 also struck upward from the base and bywhich means the base end of the tongue is held in place in connectionwith the lug 23. i The other binding -member comprises a base 19 onwhich are formed the stanchion and loop 25 in a manner similar to tlrose described above" and for co-operation with a spring tongue 21. Thebase 19, .however, is bent downward intermediate of its ends at 26 sothat one portion thereof lies and extends along the bottom of the plate.

16 for co-operation with a contact clip 27 extending through the plateat several points 28 adjacent to thethird rail. This clip includes oneor more fingers having direct embracing engagement with the base flange13 of the third rail on the side remote from the main portion of thebinder devices. V

Co-operating with and reacting against the clip 27 is a gripping member29 in the form of a first class lever pivoted at 30 directly upon thebase 19. This pivot preferabl extends through the plate 16 also for stiening and reinforcing the several connections. A washer 31 may liebetween the lower end of the pivot and the plate for additionalstrength. The shorter end of this lever 29 takes directly over andagainst the flange of the rail 10 on the outside, the side remote fromthe third rail, while the longer or power end of the lever is deflectedupward and thence outward horizontally so as to enable the lever to bemanipulated readily without interference with the wire binders. A lug 32is carried by the base 19 and is so located as to constitute a positivestop to limit the swing of the lever around its axis or pivot to about.90, in

' either direction.

In applying this binder attachment to the track mechanism, the lever 29is first swung toward the right until it strikes the lug 32approximately as shown in Fig. 4 and then the plate 16 is projectedbeneath the rails 10 and 13 far enough for the clip 27 to pass beneathand thence upward into embracing contact with the remote edge of therail 13. The operator will then draw the plate firmly to make theengagement between the clip and the third rail positive and at the sametime will lift the plate to bring the anchor end of the lever in a planeabove the top of the flange of the securing rail 10. He will then swinthe lever toward the left, to the position s own in Fig.- 1, making theconnection final and positive. I The base 19 of below the top of thevice, while the securing of the binding device to the rail mechanism iseffected through means spaced and insulated from said third'railconnection.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and wish to protect byLetters Patent:

1. The combination with a .main rail and a third rail, of abinding-connection comprising a piece of insulated material constructed.to extend beneath the rails, a metallic anchor clip carried by theinsulated piece for engagement directly with one of the rails, a linewire connecter secured to the said piece including an elementelectrically connected with said anchor clip, and means pivotallymounted on said piece adjacent to and -co-operating with the other railfor positively locking the binding connecter to the rails.

2. The combination with a main rail and a third rail, of binder meansincluding a strip of insulation extending beneath the rails, a metallicanchor clip carried by the strip for engagement directly with the thirdrail, a line wire connecter connected to the other end of the strip andincluding an element electrically connected with said anchor clip, andlocking means carried by the strip and co-operating with the other railremote from the clip for making the connection positive and secure, saidlocking means comprising a first class lever so arranged as to have itsshorter end engaged d rectly over the base flan e of the adjacent railon the sideremote rom the engagement between the third rail and itsclip.

3. In mechanism as set forth, the combination with a main rail and athird rail, of electric binder means comprising a plate of insulationextending beneath said rails, a metallic clip having anchoringengagement with the third rail remote from the main rail, two line wirebinders carried by the plate and electrically spaced from each other andeach including an attachment base, means to connect one of said baseselectrically with the third rail clip, and means carried by the otherbase for locking the devices to the main rail on the side remote fromthe third rail.

4. A binding connecter for toy railway tracks comprising a base havingmeans adapted to releasably engage with track rails, a skeletonizedterminal stanchion extending upward from said base connected with saidmeans, and a sprin tongue having one end thereof anchore to the baseadjacent to said stanchion and the other end thereof "projectingresiliently through said stanchion.

5. A binding connecter for toy railway tracks comprising a base havingmeans adapted to releasably engage with track rails, a skeletonizedterminal stanchion extending upward from said base connected with saidmeans, and a spring tongue hav said stanchion, the anchored end of thespring tongue being provided with a hole 10 and the base having a lugprojecting through said hole for locking the tongue againstdisplacement.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LOUIS CARUSO.

